Illness
by Tijiya
Summary: Yusuke came down ill and Ironhide is the only one around. One-shot


It was unusual for Yusuke to be within the temple all morning and most of the afternoon. Ironhide had tried contacting him through his cell phone, but the signal came from the other side of the temple and Yusuke hadn't answered even if he did manage to hear it. He hadn't moved from his bed once and shifted every so often before letting out a horrid hacking sound that sometimes went on for minutes before he finally settled down. Ironhide had run a few scans on Yusuke wondering if the young demon had somehow been injured without his knowing, but nothing seemed to be critically wrong. The readings, however, did show that something was off.

Tired of waiting outside until Yusuke decided to poke his head out; Ironhide projected his hologram directly into his room. He'd been putting his hologram to better use since coming to stay with Yusuke to learn about the creatures he called demons.

The curtains had been drawn leaving the room dark save for the small bit of sunlight that poked through the small slit where the fabrics met. The comforter had been tossed to the ground and the sheets were wrapped up around Yusuke's middle, leaving his lower legs and upper body bare. His expression was troubled and his face was flushed with a temperature. He breathed in through his nose sharply, trying to clear it, before giving up and turning over on his stomach. He didn't even notice Ironhide's presence.

Ironhide pressed a hand to Yusuke's forehead in a very human gesture before he could stop himself. Yusuke's temperature was higher than normal; a simple scan would have told him the same thing. A quick look around the room confirmed the young demon hadn't even moved to get any medication. Not that he was in any condition to in the first place. As he left the room to get the required medication, Ironhide couldn't help but notice how much more he was learning about human habits than he had back in America. It hadn't mattered much to him then, but it was surprising how much it mattered now.

Yusuke cracked an eye open as Ironhide re-entered the room. He tried to sit up, or at least speak, but failed both attempts. His head nearly exploded when he so much as lifted it off the pillow and his throat was too dry to form any coherent words. He just wanted to know what the trouble was and if it could wait until tomorrow. He couldn't fight a demon even if he wanted to. He was slightly surprised when Ironhide slipped an arm beneath his shoulders and propped him up just enough so he could get the medicine and some water down.

When he attempted to speak for the second time he was thrown into a coughing fit that made his abused throat ache. Yusuke wasn't prone to illness, especially since he became a demon, but he loathed the times he did with every fiber of his being. As a human he would lay in bed for a few days alone with nothing to do but stare at the wall. Sometimes Keiko would visit, but she'd never stay long for fear of catching it too. As a demon worry settled upon his shoulders, any one of his enemies could easily dispose of him at his time of vulnerability.

"Thanks," he murmured as he was lowered back against the pillow. "I'll be up…n' ready t' go soon as the med'cine kicks in."

"You will not," Ironhide said in a soft, 'no arguments' tone. "I have already informed Mr. Katashi that you will not be coming in to work for a few days."

"Why?" Yusuke asked as he rolled his head to the side to look at Ironhide. "I'll be fine t'morrow."

"You need to rest for a few days, let your body recharge and heal itself. Nothing will happen so long as I am here." The unspoken promise was laced within his words, whether Yusuke caught it or not was left unknown. Yusuke looked at him for a moment, sleep thick in his eyes, before smiling slightly.

"Thanks." He settled into bed, opting not to pull up the covers, and closed his eyes. Ironhide did not cut off the hologram until well after Yusuke had fallen asleep.

**III**

**My one-shots are short, I know, but I have just broken out of writers block. I've been all over the idea of Ironhide/Yusuke and finally wrote something a tad fluffy, if you squint I think you can see it. Lots of pre-slash, but no slash yet. I've got to write some of it. **

_Yu-Yu-Hakusho (c) Yoshihiro Togashi _

_Transformers (c) Hasbro  
_


End file.
